A judge has rejected a request from Michael Jackson‘s mother, Katherine, for control of Jackson’s estate. The estate is worth approximately $500 million and will remain in the hands of Jackson’s longtime attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain. The two were named in Jackson’s will from 2002 as administrators of the estate. Mrs. Jackson had applied to oversee the estate before the will was found. This isn’t end end of the story though – the executorship will expire in August and another hearing to determine control will be held.
One of Mrs. Jacksons attorneys, John E. Schreiber, has reservations about non-family members controlling the assets, saying “Frankly, Mrs. Jackson has concerns about handing over the keys to the kingdom.” He’s speaking figuratively of course. The actual key to the Jackson kingdom hung from Janet‘s ear in the 1980s.
Ironically, if the will is actually valid, this issue will be difficult for Katherine Jackson to contest because it also gives her, and not Debbie Rowe, custody of Jackson’s children and would preclude her from wanting to challenge it. [Photo: Getty Images]
